The day after Christmas – called Boxing Day in the UK – is traditionally a day for country pursuits over here. The Boxing Meet, for example, is a huge tradition – the hounds and the hunt in distinctive dress gather outside a country pub before moving off for the hunt itself. People turn up to see the spectacle and many will then attempt to follow the hunt on foot.

Many people (myself definitely included) are happier to contemplate the sight now that the actual killing of animals has been removed from the equation. I was never of the school that believed fox hunting was an acceptable way of controlling foxes or culling deer herds; it seemed ludicrous to me that having forty or fifty people mounted on expensive horses, led by a pack of expensively bred and maintained hounds charging across the countryside in pursuit of a terrified animal running for its life and facing an incredibly grisly death could be seen as more cost effective than a farmer or a gamekeeper with a rifle. And the continuing popularity of hunts that offer thrilling (if slightly more predictable) rides is a counter to the argument that ending the hunting of live animals would be a huge financial blow to people in rural areas who depend on the hunt as a source of income.

Indeed, my suspicion is that rather more people who can afford to would want to hunt once they know that they are not going to be seen as bloodthirsty yahoos. And people can still follow the hunts. Even the hunt sabs can still be involved – making sure that the hunts stay within the law. Win win, I’d say.